


Spawn of Darkness

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M, warning for abortion mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 12:07:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12983745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Rebecca unexpectedly falls pregnant. Rebecca belongs to Centeris2.





	Spawn of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Centeris2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Centeris2/gifts).



> Inspired by most of Cen's fics, but mostly the "just destroy Rebecca's feelings" ones because angst is very good.

Rebecca was staying in an actual inn, which was usually a rare treat for her. But, after everything that had happened, Justin had insisted on paying off her tab. At first, still angry at him, she’d trashed the room and bought everything off the room service menu, also ordering the expensive cable shows and movies. But, as time had passed and it had been discovered that the druids distrusted them both, things had changed between them. Old feelings had returned, resurfaced in passionate nights followed by dates on the beach or in the countryside.

And now, Rebecca sat on the closed toilet lid in her room’s bathroom, staring at two pink lines on a stick. The third she’d tried.

“Well, fuck,” said Rebecca. She didn’t have time for a baby, not when the druids were this close to tossing her out on her ear in the wastes of Northern Jorvik or the cold wilderness of Dino Valley. That and Garnok was probably going to destroy the world, if the imbalance between Jorvik and Pandoria didn’t destroy it first. Still, she probably shouldn’t make any major decisions before she spoke to the other half of the equation.

Midnightwarrior had been turned out to the paddock to graze, and he lifted his heard and trotted over with a whicker when he saw the other half of his soul standing at the fence. She was dressed all in black, complete with a rare black beanie over her blonde hair.

“C’mon, boy, we’re off on a mission,” said Rebecca, climbing up onto the fence. Midnightwarrior stayed still while Rebecca mounted him, and then he soared over the fence as the two of them galloped for Valedale.

“Who goes there?” the druid on guard at the Secret Stone Circle asked as Rebecca rode past him.

“Aideen,” said Rebecca. “Move, I’m on a mission.”

“I didn’t hear anything about this mission,” said the druid, a frown in his voice as he approached the girl on horseback. Rebecca dismounted at the gates, sliding a bobby pin out of her hair.

“Soul Riders sent me,” said Rebecca with a shrug as she fiddled with the padlock. She’d done this so often now that it was only too easy to find the right combination of gears to unlock the padlock. That done, she pushed open the rusty old gates and rode through, leaving the padlock hanging on one of the gates. “Shut that for me, will you?”

Midnightwarrior leaped the broken bridge easily, and Rebecca rode him down the series of paths that led to the prison caves and, from there, to the cell where Justin was kept. Rebecca smacked her flat palm against the bars, causing Justin to snort awake.

“Huh, wha? Oh, Rebecca!” said Justin, seeing her. “Is it midnight already?”

“No,” said Rebecca. “This isn’t a normal visit.” She folded her arms over her chest, her anger at the druids dying away for a moment, and took a deep breath.

“What is it?” asked Justin, seeing the sadness enter her eyes. Rebecca didn’t know why she was crying.

“I’m pregnant,” said Rebecca. “We weren’t careful enough, but I can’t afford this, and I’m not in the best position and-“

“Oh,” said Justin, surprised. He smiled, which broke Rebecca’s heart. “I’m gonna be a dad.”

“No, you’re not,” said Rebecca, part of her enjoying the way she so easily crushed that ember of hope. “I don’t have time for this, Justin. You know the druids trust me only slightly more than they trust you.”

“B-but you’re their chosen one, aren’t you?” said Justin. “You activated the four runestones.”

“That doesn’t matter,” said Rebecca with a shrug. “I’m on really thin ice with them as it is, if I have your baby then…”

“Don’t just get rid of it because of them!” said Justin, his eyes wide as he reached through the bars to hold her upper arms. Rebecca sighed.

“That’s only part of it,” said Rebecca. “I can’t afford a baby, Justin, the island’s counting on me and it can’t wait while I express milk or have a baby. Hell, at least three disasters are on the verge of happening this very second!”

“I guess you’re the boss,” said Justin, looking so much like a kicked puppy that Rebecca had to look away from him to compose herself. “The stress probably wouldn’t be great for it either…”

“Exactly,” said Rebecca. “It’s this or risk a miscarriage, which would be bad for us both. And for any future children I might want to have.” She gave a bitter little laugh. “If there is a future.”

“Why tell me?” asked Justin, tears in his eyes and a whine in his voice as he pulled his arms back to himself. “Why tell me if you’re just gonna get rid of it?”

“Because I thought you should know,” said Rebecca, her voice breaking on the last word. She wiped her eyes, the old burn scars on her hands feeling odd against her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Justin, I just can’t do this.”

“I know,” said Justin, and the pain in his voice broke Rebecca’s heart again. “That’s why we were being careful, huh?” He sniffed.

“I’ll make the appointment when I get home,” said Rebecca, wiping the tears from her face. “I’m sorry, Justin, you don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve this, our- nobody deserves this!”

It wasn’t the first time Rebecca had broken down in the prison caves. Nor, she guessed, would it be the last. Just like every other time, Justin reached through the bars for her, trying to hold her. And, just like every other time, he couldn’t quite manage it and had to settle for feebly rubbing her back or arm or whatever part of her he could reach.

Rebecca’s grief and anger was so great as she rode home that she wasn’t paying attention to anything as she rode back to Moorland. She couldn’t see a thing from the tears, and most people wouldn’t have ridden a horse in this state. But the bond between Soul Steed and Soul Rider was so great that no words or movement from the rider was necessary. Midnightwarrior knew where to go, what hazards to avoid, what shortcuts to take, when to ride slowly and when he could gallop.

They took the route down past the observatory, galloping through the Everwind Fields. This had been a nice place, once, a place where Rebecca could relax and have fun with her Soul Steed. But now, with the weight of the world on her shoulders, Rebecca didn’t know if she could ever smile again.

They were ambushed on the road down from Silverglade Village. Rebecca only had time to scream once before the dark fire hit her, engulfing her in darkness and sending her sliding from her horse.

Rebecca was not surprised in the slightest when she awoke in a dank cell that smelled of sea salt and rust. Immediately, panic seized her, but it was dulled by something. She sat up, groggy, and peered out through the bars. There was something on her shoulder, but it gave her a slight electric shock when she tried to peel it off. She glared at it instead. It looked like a little bandaid, but it was definitely doing something. She could feel a tugging sensation, as though blood were being drawn. As her senses came back to her, Rebecca noticed a similar patch on her other shoulder, this one emanating a feeling like she was being injected with something. So she was being drugged and monitored. Great.

Some uncountable amount of time later, footsteps sounded on the floor, and Rebecca peered out through the bars to see someone walking towards her. A familiar someone.

“I see you rebuilt,” said Rebecca, smirking. Mr Sands bristled.

“We needed to remodel anyway,” said Mr Sands. Rebecca snorted, and Mr Sands glared at her. “But we kept things mostly the same, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. How does your new cell compare to your old one?”

“Should’ve expected you’d be behind it,” said Rebecca. She still felt drowsy, but anger was hot in her veins. “What the hell did you do to me this time, huh? Are you draining me of blood and injecting me with poison?”

“Quite the opposite, actually,” said Mr Sands. “We are monitoring you and keeping you calm. After all, stress isn’t good for the baby.”

“How the hell did you know?” asked Rebecca, getting to her feet and glaring at the man. “I only found out a few hours ago!” Mr Sands smirked, looking very much like the cat who’d gotten the cream.

“Fripp was right to imprison my grandson,” said Mr Sands. “I have a mental link with him.” Rebecca’s heart lurched, and she felt sick.

“All this time,” said Rebecca hoarsely. “You… you knew I was with him?” Mr Sands nodded.

“I tried not to intrude too much, don’t worry, I just wanted to keep an eye on my grandson,” said Mr Sands. “And now, my great grandchild.” Rebecca put her hands protectively over her stomach, and Mr Sands chuckled darkly. “Oh yes, I know what you were planning. That’s why I caught you.”

“You’re lying,” Rebecca whispered.

“Am I?” asked Mr Sands, tilting his head to one side. Rebecca swallowed the acid rising in her throat.

“You can’t force me to have a baby,” said Rebecca, shaking now.

“Well, you can’t do anything about it, the risk is too great,” said Mr Sands. “After all, it’s like you said, a miscarriage would be bad for both of you and any future children you might want to have.”

Rebecca wanted to scream, to rage, to cry. But all she felt was numb as she watched Mr Sands walk away.

To his credit, Mr Sands did look after her. He even had scans for her every few months, to check how the baby was growing. Rebecca was never allowed to hear the heartbeat or see the monitor, of course. All of that was sent to Mr Sands and the nurses. She wept in her cell at night, wondering about her horse and Justin and her future. About Jorvik.

Even though she hadn’t wanted it, Rebecca grew to love the child growing inside her. She felt it moving, and wept silently when the nurses wouldn’t let her see or hear it. But she could feel it, which was better than nothing.

The only difficult part of Rebecca’s pregnancy was the labour. Even before the first contraction had passed, the nurses appeared, shackling her into a wheelchair and taking her into a room with bright white lights where they shackled her to a hospital bed. The pain was intense, worse even than escaping here in the first place had been.

“Let me hold it, let me hold it!” Rebecca sobbed, reaching for the crying infant. She only saw a crop of blonde hair as the baby was removed from the room. The patches were removed, sending electricity pulsing up her arms, and Rebecca screamed. She wasn’t sure how much her heart could take. First childbirth, now this… it was too much. The only thing she noticed as she passed out was the fact that she hadn’t been patched up after the birth.

She was still bleeding when she was executed at sundown, or at what would have been sundown outside of the eternal darkness of the oil rig. The Generals dumped her in a barrel, and Rebecca was in too much pain to stand or even struggle.

As the barrel was pushed from the end of a plank, Rebecca was not surprised in the slightest that the druids hadn’t come looking for her.

On mainland Jorvik, a great crack that shook the ground was heard. The workers in Old Hillcrest panicked, convinced that it was happening again. But nothing. They all went back about their work, though they were wary for the rest of the day.

In Guardians Dale, also known as the Valley of the Four Horses, a great rift had opened down the path leading up to where the fifth statue had once been. Pink light poured forth from the gaping wound. And a girl climbed out, covered in pink dust.

The Sun had returned.


End file.
